Spoilers for a couple of the MA and possibly NA's, so be warned...rushikayu13May 5 2009, 13:09:28 UTC
I love Terror of the Vervoids.
There, I said it. It's my favourite of the Trial arc, and the one that I think is the most underrated. I might be a tiny bit biased as this was the first Old Who episode I ever watched (as an adult, anyway) and after coming into contact with Doctor Who fandom.
So, why do I love Vervoids? Let me count the ways.
- Mel. I think Bonnie Langford always got the short end of the stick when it comes to her performance in Doctor Who. She was loud, she was optimistic and she could be quite annoying, but if she hadn't just appeared the way that she did (which was a writing issue more than an acting one) just after we've been told that Peri died...I don't think she ever had much of a chance at winning any popularity contests, even if her first story was absolutely perfect.
She works well here, and manages to convey the impression that her and Six have known each other for a while (much like The Mysterious Planet, in fact) and I love the fact that she's more anxious to explore and solve the mystery than he is, which is a really different dynamic to many, if not all, of the last few Doctor-Companion pairs.
- Six. I love the fact that he's still traumatised from the (perceived) events of Mindwarp. It really -having read a couple of the novels- gives it a different perspective on things if we remember that Six already knew about the Vervoids at this point and has spent the last few months trying to avoid the chain of events starting with meeting Mel and ending up with him being on the other end of the courtroom, of which we're aware that the Vervoids are one link. If we go by that (which we shouldn't, to be honest, but I like my continuity understandable), then we can theorise that his relative lack of enthusiasm for investigating the mystery could be an attempt to change the events.
- The Valeyard. He takes advantage of a still reeling Six here and really pushes his smug and vicious awesomeness onto the courtroom bits of this serial.
I didn't like the Vervoid costumes, but that's only a very minor point.
There, I said it. It's my favourite of the Trial arc, and the one that I think is the most underrated. I might be a tiny bit biased as this was the first Old Who episode I ever watched (as an adult, anyway) and after coming into contact with Doctor Who fandom.
So, why do I love Vervoids? Let me count the ways.
- Mel. I think Bonnie Langford always got the short end of the stick when it comes to her performance in Doctor Who. She was loud, she was optimistic and she could be quite annoying, but if she hadn't just appeared the way that she did (which was a writing issue more than an acting one) just after we've been told that Peri died...I don't think she ever had much of a chance at winning any popularity contests, even if her first story was absolutely perfect.
She works well here, and manages to convey the impression that her and Six have known each other for a while (much like The Mysterious Planet, in fact) and I love the fact that she's more anxious to explore and solve the mystery than he is, which is a really different dynamic to many, if not all, of the last few Doctor-Companion pairs.
- Six. I love the fact that he's still traumatised from the (perceived) events of Mindwarp. It really -having read a couple of the novels- gives it a different perspective on things if we remember that Six already knew about the Vervoids at this point and has spent the last few months trying to avoid the chain of events starting with meeting Mel and ending up with him being on the other end of the courtroom, of which we're aware that the Vervoids are one link. If we go by that (which we shouldn't, to be honest, but I like my continuity understandable), then we can theorise that his relative lack of enthusiasm for investigating the mystery could be an attempt to change the events.
- The Valeyard. He takes advantage of a still reeling Six here and really pushes his smug and vicious awesomeness onto the courtroom bits of this serial.
I didn't like the Vervoid costumes, but that's only a very minor point.
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